The Hero's Death
by Humblescribe
Summary: A Hero of destiny dies. What is destiny? There is so much one cannot understand, but that's just the way things are. If you can't have a reason, you must make one. Future, T, no pairings.
1. Death

**The Hero's Death**

_I do not own Zelda, and I likely never will. But nothing is impossible._

The Hero of Time had never expected to visit this place ever again. Yet, here he was, fighting his way almost nostalgically through the stench of the shadows. How long had it been since he had those nightmares about Ganondorf, when he still lived in ignorance and safety?

Of all the temples he had freed, this one was the most mysterious, most evil. To most, it was a legend, hidden deep beyond the graveyard of Kakariko. _The Shadow Temple. _When he had approached that eyetear carved into the ancient doors for the second time in his life, he felt his old fears, of not knowing what to expect, of failure, and of death, wash over him again. They were familiar, because they had been so constant during his adventures. Now he could brush them off. He was the Hero of Time! A legendary figure, talked about in two different worlds. The most glorious position a man could have!

They were wrong. All wrong. So wrong.

It was the loneliest burden that could ever be, being a hero of destiny, so huge that it must have broken him by now. He couldn't escape it if he wanted to. But why was he journeying through the Shadow Temple? No evil resided here anymore, and Impa, the guardian, was not a particularly close friend. He had in fact vowed to never set foot in this place again. Then why was he here?

_He was a complete slave to his fate._

His job was never-ending, to help others, and destroy evil. No acknowledgement, no assistance, no company. It was his job, the mantle of the Hero. He had experienced countless horrors no one could imagine, and even had his lifespan rearranged. All because he was the Hero of _Time._ He couldn't complain about it now. After all, his life was almost over.

The powerful swordsman strode through the narrow and dark corridors, undeterred because of his strength. He walked without a hurry, but with a purpose. He was heading into the depths of this evil place, so well-known to him from his youth. Though obviously aged, with his once-golden hair now grey, the hero surpassed all obstacles he came across, moving slowly, but unmistakably downward.

Link emerged in a chamber where a mammoth boat bobbed gently on the grey mists. He noticed the block he had pushed to the wall decades ago, when he was young. It served the same purpose of letting him up onto the floor above. Link boarded the boat, and stood on the Triforce symbol. He took out the Ocarina of Time, borrowed from the palace just for this instance. Closing his eyes, he began to play, the tune memorized in his mind. He had stood in this exact place, ages ago. He remembered it well.

_Link played Zelda's Lullaby. The magical melody was a beacon of sanity to him, and he was glad for it; there weren't any others in the whole temple. "At least those monsters can die," he reassured himself. As the last note lingered and echoed off the stone walls, escaping to the netherworld underneath, the sound of bones cracking behind him was heard. He spun around, and saw two Stalfos advancing toward him, just as the ship started to creak forward. Link pulled out the Master Sword. "Here we go again."_

This time, like the temple itself knew his intent, no enemies appeared, and no sound was heard, just silence. As the ship drifted along into the darkness ahead, Link took these last moments of peace to settle his mind and resolve. As all old men do, he reminisced, and regretted.

_Unjust. The people and the land both, they are rescued from disaster, but the rescuer himself… Why was I bestowed with the Triforce of Courage? Why couldn't I just accept that I have a destiny to fulfill, and not change it? Where is my famed courage now, when I most need it?_

_My burden is large. My burden is to help, and it is in my nature. Madness had surely taken over me in the world of Termina; in each cycle started anew, I could not ease everyone of their pain, and I had to press on despite the pain, pressing through enemies and temples in a frenzy as I sought to end this torturous period at last. All this I have accomplished. I have lived so long, adventured more than anyone can imagine, saved countless people, and yet-- was never allowed to save myself. It chose to end everything here now, conquering the unknown as I die, a final adventure. This has gone on for too long…_

As the boat ground to a stop, Link froze, hesitating for the first time since entering the temple. Did he have to do this? This was his last chance to turn back.

_Link stumbled out of the broken gate, sweating. Where was he? The marketplace he had just left must have been the Hyrule Town square. It was always full of people, but now it was deserted. Why were Redeads in… As he lifted his head up, he could only stare. The wasteland that was once his kingdom, the pure evil darkening the land…… Link felt like weeping. All hope was lost. No. He was the only hope._

_As Link comprehended the situation, his mind __**shattered **__with the explanation_._Travel throughout time, again and again? Otherwise….what? The end of the world? It was so unreal, but as Link glared defiantly at the moon filling the sky with its leer, and the clouds tinted blood red, he could believe. This was Hyrule again. The land had the feeling of destruction. He had completed his destiny in one world, and trying to escape his country, faced it again inverted, but with the same stakes. It was truly the end of the world. And again, he was the only hope. Link lifted the ocarina to his lips, and began to play. He was going back in time._

It was hopeless. Too much for one person, one man, only a _human._ Even as the ship started to sink, and the cavern rumbled, he stood there in agony. He could hear the screams of the citizens whom he failed to save during his life, whom he had watched slowly die in misery. Growing slowly, the dead within the Temple cried out too, the shrieks undistinguishable, the sound driving him mad. His mind spinning, he painfully walked to the edge of the ship, dangerously low in the chasm. He halted for a moment, gazing into his death. Then without hesitation, he leapt into the unfathomable depths, into the unknown_._ The screams died immediately. Seconds later, the ship collapsed also. The room became dead silent.

He was the Hero of Time. And he was no more.

_A lot of thanks to Perfect Soldier 01 for beta-reading this fic. Without the advice, the story would be painful to read._

_Read the last chapter for the Author's Note_


	2. The Pit

I do not own Zelda, and the following work is not for a profit.

_What is your destiny, Hero…?_

_How well did you live…?_

_Is this- how you'll die...?_

_Is this how you expect it to end…?_

_Come closer………..Hero…_

_More closer….._

_Closer—_

_------------------------------_

Link gasped. He felt death clawing at his soul, and he couldn't see anything because of this _darkness!_ His life was draining out of him, and he was feeling faint. He kept on falling, headfirst, his limbs fluttering, helpless in the face of death. "Why?" He thought. "Why am I not dead?"

Nothing answered him. He kept on falling for what seemed like eternity, just him, absolute silence, the darkness and mist.

--

Suddenly, a feminine voice spoke out,_ "Do you regret your decisions made throughout your life?"_

Undaunted, he answered, "Not at all. I have lived out my life as best as I can."

"_Yet you choose to die. You hold hatred in your mind. Do you resent your duty?"_

Suddenly afraid, an uncomfortable experience for the bearer of the Triforce of Courage, he replied uncertainly, "G-Goddess, I have experienced beyond the limits of man. I choose to die because I am only mortal. I feel that my burden is too great, and I cannot stand with it anymore. I should finish my life."

There was no reply, only silence greater than when he was alone.

Then three voices, speaking at once, the sounds echoing, filling the darkness and deafening him:

"_You have erred, human. You chose to end your life in this place, the pit of darkness, the place of evil; one cannot choose how to live out their fate. You do not understand this place, because you __**cannot**__ understand it. But YOU! Hero! Your destiny is not finished. You cannot end here. You must venture where none have before. Pass into death, O, Hero of Time, and complete this destiny which we have given unto you._

_Go now! GO!"_

All of a sudden Link accelerated, moving so fast he found that he couldn't take a breath; his life slipping away from him faster than ever. And the voices spiraled down with him, increasing in volume, screaming so loudly in his mind he could hear nothing else. The darkness lifted and he saw the mists of the pit swirling crazily around him. He craned his neck to look underneath him, and spotted a blinding white light opening to receive him. He shut his eyes and renewed his courage, readying himself for this new adventure. He radiated calm yet an apprehensive acceptance. Closer and closer he came, until suddenly Link's vision went white in a blinding flash, so bright and glaring that he felt his body being twisted this way and that as he struggled and shied away from it.

He landed. Underneath him, land, finally, and cool grass and sun on his face. The voices died away, and a unnatural peace and silence made itself known. He slowly opened his eyes-- and stared directly into an abyss which loomed over him. He followed the path up the hole he just escaped from until he could see no more because it faded into total blackness.

"I'm alive. How can I be alive?" was the only thought which Link had. He had just been through death. That unknown grave where the ghost ship sank in the Shadow Temple had led to…Where exactly? Suddenly, the vortex of mist swirled, once, twice, and faded slowly, as if it had never been there. Link blinked. What was…?

He got to his knees and took a good look around. And what he saw made him lose his courage immediately. His breath was strangled sharply in his throat upon seeing the sight before him.

--

--

--

This was a place that was so vivid to him, in his nightmares, and in his most private thoughts. It looked like paradise. In fact, it was something like hell. The furthest the eye could see was a meadow of grass, the sky so blue and pure, and on the horizon, always seeming to be _just _beyond his effort, were a ring of mountains like a barrier. And he _knew_. He froze, and then slowly started to turn around, fearing what he knew lay behind him. As he viewed the landscape behind him…There it was. An enormous tree. And below its leafy boughs…….. Five children waited.

He lost all conscious thought.

**A/N: Thanks to Perfect Soldier 01 for beta-reading the fic**


	3. Memories

**Ch3**

The only sound breaking the silence was the painful beating of his heart. The unreal landscape stretched out forever all around him, but Link could only see one thing. The tree and the children running underneath. There they were, four specks of white moving, frolicking and enjoying the weather. And _him_, sitting and leaning on the trunk, looking just like an innocent lonely child. Instinctively Link had already pulled out his blade halfway.

How were these small children a threat to him?

He remembered the time spent in Termina, where his body was as a child, but his adventures anything but childlike. His innocence had been wrenched from him so violently each time Link had looked the moon in the face, or felt his body transform with the mask. And worst of all, Majora, that demon. Majora had created the nightmare, and Link had defeated him. It was so long ago, but Link could still remember the desperation and terror he had experienced during those three days, over and over again. Over and over…

Link began walking. The tree loomed in the distance and was getting larger with every step he took, too large already. As he drew near, the children stopped frolicking and stared at him as if they recognized the curiously-dressed stranger, so tall and forbidding from an age long past. Link glanced at them and noticed with shock: where the masks once were, there was nothing. Not even a face. Link turned his head. Trying not to look at the faceless children, Link strode past up to the one sitting at the foot of the tree. There, he stopped. For a long time, there was silence, from the children and from Link himself. Not even the wind was heard. Finally, Majora tilted his head up and looked directly into Link's eyes. And Link met unexpectedly someone he had met only once before, someone who was never expected to be seen again.

Disturbed and in shock, feeling a tightness rise into his chest, Link asked, "Why am I here? No-- where am I?"

The Happy Mask Salesman smiled. "You are dead."

**A/N:Sorry that the chapter is short this time. Next chapter should finish the story.**


	4. A New Start

**Chapter 4**

Link stood, uncomprehendingly. He started and tried to hide his rather obvious surprise. "What do you mean? How can I be…Wait, where is this place? Isn't this place the inside of the mo-" Link stopped. The Happy Mask Salesman was looking intently at him, and the intensity of the look stopped him. There was a brief, tense moment, and then the Salesman smiled pleasantly, quite unexpectedly. "No, it is not."

Link frowned, "But…"

The Salesman went on, "Where do you think the moon came from, anyways? You see, Link, you aren't in Termina. That's out there," he gestured out at the sky above them, "where there is real life. Here is somewhere else. Here-- everything is, simply, death."

The Hero gave a wary look at the short man sitting. Mulling the man's words over, he replied furiously, "What are you talking about!? Look out there! You seem to know everything. Isn't this the inside of that stupid moon?!"

The infuriating, sitting man shook his head. "Did I not just tell you? This isn't simple anymore, Hero. Was the interior of the moon anything like you expected? It was special magic. Having similar looks don't have anything to do with it. Accept it: you are dead, and this is where you are now."

Link tried valiantly to control the turmoil inside him. "Then is the moon in Termina the same place as here, wherever this is?"

"Certainly," the Salesman confirmed curtly.

Link rubbed his eyes vigorously in desperation. In a strained voice, he admitted, "I don't think I understand anything anymore."

"You aren't supposed to, Hero," the pale-skinned man added plainly, the painful truth lying heavy on Link's ears.

"So that's how it should be? I just save everyone, receive pain and suffering instead of thanks from the people and the goddesses, and don't need to know why I have to do all this in the first place?!"

The Salesman sighed, "Yes, unfortunately." He narrowed his eyes. "Watch what you say about the goddesses, Hero. You are only mortal."

Minding the order, Link released a short breath in frustration and looked up, his hands adjusting his old hat, searching the pale blue sky for the right words to say. "Is this all? Am I to know nothing else?"

A pause in the conversation. Then, "Hero, the people may be different from you, but you always were separate from the start. "Hero, you must learn that you are a very special individual. Everyone has a fate, but you… You are blessed; your life has been planned out to the very end."

The mask salesman stood up, ignoring Link's look of anger. Link had suspected this answer from the beginning, being forced to take so many risks and rescues in his lifetime. That was the reason he had decided to end his life, anyways, wasn't it? The thought had been forming from the very start. He knew that no matter how great his actions, he would do them in vain.

"So you are saying that I made a mistake in trying to die?" Link questioned. The Salesman looked up, squinting a bit at the bright sun. "No, it was the right time for you to die."

Unable to think of a response to that, Link just took in the baffling information. How could it be that he was so mistaken? He was not afraid of death. He thought that it would end all his troubles, be the solution to his problems. But…it seems that his fate continued after death. While Link stood in dumbfounded silence, the slender man halfway down the hill, without looking at Link, cleared his throat and invited Link neutrally, "Come here."

Link shook his head to clear it of his sudden plaguing thoughts, and turned around. The second largest surprise he had after recognizing the land he was in greeted him. The space in front of him was empty, without anyone in sight. Only the endless, green plain and the mountains beyond. He whirled and looked at his surroundings carefully, certain this was a trick. No faceless children.

"Where are they?"

"Who?"

Link seethed, replacing his fear and bewilderment with a surly disposition. Something about this place after death took his previous courage away. "Did I ever tell you that I have a special fate, too?"

The Salesman's statement surprised him. In all his musings on this strange character, this one never crossed his mind. The Salesman continued freely, "I was chosen a very long time ago. I'm dead, you know. I died in an age before this one. And I know much more than you do," the Salesman intoned, looking straight into the Hero's eyes. "I'm not a Mask Salesman for no reason. It is a great responsibility. You should know that. You've seen the power of masks. I too was tasked to destroy evil. And not one time did I get any recognition. Not once. Not even from those I called my friends and companions."

_Heh, heh... Thanks... You're... nice. Umm... Can I ask... a question? Your friends... What kind of... people are they? I wonder... Do these people... think of you... as a friend?_

"I grew to realize this over time, and I wanted to die. But I couldn't. I had a duty to accomplish. It was the only reason I existed. I know that now. Back then, when I was in anguish, only the satisfaction of serving another kept me going.

_Heh, heh... Thanks...You're nice. Umm... Can I ask...a question? What makes you happy? I wonder...what makes you happy...does it make...others happy, too?_

"Did what I do make others feel the same? You see, Link. We're both entwined with time. It's who we are. I saved worlds back then, entire realms without them or me knowing it. And one day, a little chance came along. The chance to escape my burden, my fate. A way out. What do you think I did?

_Heh, heh... Thanks...You're nice. Umm... Can I ask...a question? The right thing...what is it? I wonder...if you do the right thing...does it make...everybody...happy?_

"Later on in my life, there was a great evil. It had immense strength. I was more powerful. I managed to destroy it, but afterwards, I felt hollow. I thought that I was done, that I had achieved my victory at last and finally earned my death or a reward at least. I was wrong. Link, do you know what my fate called me to do? It called me to…

_Heh, heh... Thanks... You're nice. Umm... Can I ask... a question? Your true face... What kind of... face is it? I wonder... The face under the mask... Is that... your true face?_

"I can't tell, can I? I was there in Hyrule with you. And I was there in Termina, experiencing everything you did. Link, do you believe in multiple realities? Right now, in another time, you are alive and healthy! What am I? Am I a hero, or a monster? I am your test, Hero of Time. You must struggle with that question, instead of lamenting your fate. This question: What is…"

_Heh, heh... Thanks... You're nice. Umm... Can I ask... a question? Your true face... What kind of... face is it? I wonder... The face under the mask... Is that... your true face?_

Link dropped to the ground. His mind hurt, and his body felt worn, unable to support his body anymore. He was getting so many answers, but with them, more questions than ever before. He was not sure of anything now, not his life, not his journeys, not Hyrule or Zelda or Ganondorf or the world in front of his eyes…everything was too dark.

"_What can I do?"_

Link slowly opened his eyes, and unclenched his tight fists, willing his heart to slow down. He cast a look upward, where the Salesman was, and saw him looking down with such sympathy as he never believed could exist on the man's face. The Salesman reached down and laid a hand on the Hero's shoulder.

"Link, I know that this is a painful revelation for you. But if it's any consolation to you-" They both knew that the man talking knew exactly what his words were to the one listening. "You've helped thousands upon thousands of people. You've been called a Hero. It's your title by prophesy. No matter what you really may be, remember. You have done the work of a true hero. Your actions have produced happiness. And that…is truly a good happiness." And the Happy Mask Salesman smiled a true smile, warm and kind, not disguising his wrath or knowledge for the first time since Link had met him. "Is that not a reason worth living for? Just have faith. Believe in your strengths_. Believe…_"

And with that, the Happy Mask Salesman, always the enigmatic figure, began to trudge off in the direction of the mountains. Link, still on his knees, watched him go. Under his breath, he repeated, "Just have faith…Just have faith."

He reached behind and pulled out his sword, and was, somehow, not surprised to see that the weapon was the Master Sword, his weapon of old, with which he had saved his homeland. He glanced down at himself, and saw, instead of rags, the Hero's tunic, greener than the grass of the plains around him, the color of the deep forest. He felt a weight on his back, and took it off to find the Hylian Shield. Remembrance of his youth came back, and he wept freely. He mindfully sheathed his sword, put his shield away, and got to his feet. Looking one more time at the Salesman, now a steadily moving dot of white, in the form of a child, he let out a breath of air and turned in the opposite direction. Not looking back, he started walking, knowingly starting his new adventure, which even death couldn't stop and set his feet towards the mountains and the land beyond. The tree stood, forgotten, but just a monument to the fates freshly chosen underneath its branches.

_Whenever there's a meeting a parting is sure to follow. However, the parting need not last forever..._

_**A/n: I hope everyone got at least something out of that. We don't exactly need the grandest reasons to live...and death is never an escape.**_

_**Thanks to those who read, and to Perfect Soldier 01 for patiently beta-reading.  
**_


End file.
